Preloading structure for cooperating cylinders



A. J. SARKA June 20, 1967 PRELOADING STRUCTURE FOR COOPERATING CYLINDERS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 15, 1964 I NVENTOR.

ALBERT J. SARKA ATTORNE A- J. SARKA June 20, 1967 RELOADING STRUCTURE FOR COOPERATING CYLINDERS 3 Sheets-Sheet '2 Filed Sept. 16, 1964 FIG.5

I N VENTOR.

ALBERT J. SARKA A- J. SARKA June 20, 1967 IRELOADING STRUCTURE FOR COOPERATING CYLINDERS 15, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept.

-INVENTOR.

ALBERT J. SARKA @0244, flag/L, W

r ATTORNEYS United States Patent assiguor to Cleveland, Ohio, a car- The present invention relates to rotary machines having cooperating cylinders to be stabilized and more particularly to such machines where cooperating nip forming cylinders adapted to perform an operation on sheet material passing therebetween run in intermittent pressure relationship.

In certain machines, cylinders which run in pressure relationship with each other have axially extending gaps therein which cause the pressure relationship to be interrupted each time the leading edges of the gaps pass each other and to be reestablished each time the trailing edges of the gaps pass each other.

Moreover, in some machines where the cylinders operate in a pressure relationship there is no pressure relationship between the cylinders until material being oper ated upon is present between the cylinders and is being opera-ted upon by the Work-performing elements, such as die elements, printing type, etc., located on at least one of the cylinders. One such machine is a type of cutting and creasing machine which has die plates mounted on cooperating cylinders and die elements on the plates which cooperate to cut and crease material. The die elements operate with clearance therebetween so that in the absence of sheet material between the die elements, there is no pressure relationship between the cylinders. In this type of machine, as Well as in certain other rotary machines, the pressure relationship is established by the engagement of the work-performing elements with the material and may be intermittent even though material is moving between the cylinders. In such a machine the pressure relationship is relieved for portions of the work cycle where there is no work to be performed on the material between the cylinders since there are no cooperating work performing elements engaging the work to establish the pressure. Accordingly it will be recognized that an intermittent pressure relationship commonly exists between cooperating nip forming cylinders in machines for operating on sheet material and that this intermittent pressure relationship may exist on machines for operating on sheet material in the form of either sheets or Webs.

When cooperating rotary cylinders of rotary machines Patented June 20, 1967 ICC it is desirable that the cylinders be adjustable relative to each other. Moreover, it is desirable to be able to adjust the pressure of the cylinders on the work without materially alTecting the preload of the cylinders. In certain printing machines that have used the described method of preloading, the pressure between the cylinders and the Work is adjusted by altering the efiective diameter of one or more cylinders through known packing techniques. In other printing machines where this could not be done it has been a problem to obtain both stabilization and adjustment of working pressure.

Accordingly an important object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved rotary machine having cooperating cylinders adapted to run in intermittent pressure relationship and in which the cylinders are preloaded in a manner to stabilize the latter against lateral deflection such that the cylinders can be laterally adjusted to various working positions without materially affecting the stabilization thereof.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved rotary machine in which cooperating cylinders are laterally adjustable toward and away from each other to adjust the working position of the cylinders and the pressure relationship between the cylinders and the work, and in which means distinct from the means for adjusting the working position is provided to preload and stabilizethe cylinders and is operable to stabilize the cylinders in their various working positions.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved rotary machine having cooperating cylinders which operate in intermittent pressure relationship in which the cylinders are loaded outwardly away from each other by preloading means which is distinct from mechanism for adjusting the working position of the cylinders and which is operable over the range of adjustment for the working position of the cylinders.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved rotary machine having cooperating cylinders which run in intermittent pressure rela-i tionship with one of the cylinders being laterally movable between a nonworking and working position and in which preloading means operates to stabilize the cylinders by applying an external force thereto to urge the latter apart but which is inefiective to apply a preloading force to the cylinder as the latter is initially moved toward its working position yet is in advance of the working position, ef-

operate in intermittent pressure relationship, deleterious effects often result unless the cylinders are stabilized by preloading. For example, when material is being severed by cooperating cylinders, skip cutting may result due to the intermittent pressure relationship. oftentimes, in a sheet fed machine the re-establishment of pressure as the trailing edges of the gaps pass each other will cause a bouncing of the cylinders, which will cause skip cutting in the case of rotary cutting machines or smudging in the case of printing machines.

Heretofore attempts have been made to stabilize cooperating cylinders and overcome the effects of intermittent pressure by preloading the cylinders. A common method of preloading in printing machines has been to apply a force which urges bearers on the cooperating cylinders into engagement with each other. This method, how ever, has various disadvantages. One of the disadvantages is that the cylinders then only have one relative working position with respect to each other, the position with the bearers in engagement with each other, and cannot be adjusted laterally relative to each other to provide an adjustment of the working position. In certain types of operations fective to oppose movement of the cylinder to its working position.

. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved rotary machine in which cooperating cylinders are preloaded to stabilize the cylinder shafts against deflection by preloading means which also reinforces the shaft against deflection.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved rotary machine in which a preload is applied to a cylinder through a bearing rotatably receiving a shaft portion of the cylinder and disposed inwardly of an outboard bearing for rotatably supporting the cylinder.

An object of the present invention is also to provide a new and improved rotary machine having a rotating cylinder to be stabilized in which the rotating cylinder is stabilized by a spring device which preloads the cylinder to stabilize the latter against deflection due to an intermittent pressure relationship between the cylinder and a cooperating cylinder.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a novel structure in a rotary machine for preloading cylinders which run in pressure relationship which is periodically interrupted, which structure includes a spring cartridge disposed between the cylinders which is adapted to preload the cylinders between which it is disposed to minimize disturbances and effects due to the interruption of the pressure relationship between the circumferences of the cylinders.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a novel structure as in the next preceding object which permits ready assembly and disassembly of the frame which supports the cylinders.

A further object of the present invention is to prov de a new and improved rotary machine having cooperating cylinders which are rotatably supported at oppos1te ends by bearings and to which a preload is applied by loading the cylinders immediately inwardly of the bearings by a loading device such as spring or fluid pressure means acting between the cylinders.

Further objects and advantages of the present lnvention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment thereof made with reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of the present application for all material shown therein and in which FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a rotary machine embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken approximately along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken approximately along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an end elevational view on reduced scale corresponding to FIG. 1 with certain parts removed;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of a part of the machine taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary end elevational view with parts cut away; and

FIG. 7 is a view taken approximately along line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

Referring to the drawing, a rotary machine embodying the present invention is shown in the drawing as having two rotary cylinders 10, 11 which are adapted to run in pressure relationship with each other while performing operations on successive sheets of material fed through the machine by conventional feeding means. In the disclosed machine, the cylinders 10, 11 are adapted to have plates mounted thereon, the plates having die elements on their surface which are adapted to perform a cutting or creasing operation on the successive pieces of sheet material passing therebetween. The cylinders 10, 11 have gaps therein in which the means for holding the plates on the surfaces of the cylinders are disposed. When the gaps are running opposite to each other, the circumferences of cylinders 10, 11 are not in pressure relationship with each other but when the plates are opposite to each other and the cooperating elements in the plates are operating on the material therebetwcen there is a pressure relationship between the circumferences of the cylinders. Problems arise when this intermittent pressure relationship exists as the re-establishment of full pressure relationship will sometimes cause a bouncing of the cylinder which will affect the quality of the work being performed. Bouncing may be a potentially troublesome problem when the pressure relationship is re-established as the trailing edges of the gaps pass each other.

In accordance with the preferred embodiment the cylinders 10, 11' are preloaded in a novel manner to minimize the effects on the work of intermittent pressure relationship.

The rotary cylinders 10, 11 are supported at their opposite ends by side frames 20, 21. The side frame 20 has a top section 20a, an intermediate section 20b and a lower section 200, for purposes to be explained hereinafter. The side frame 21 is similarly divided into three sections and is a duplicate of the side frame 20.

The cylinders 10, 11 each have shaft portions 10a, 11a projecting from the end thereof toward the side frame 20 and corresponding portions projecting from the other end thereof toward the side frame 21. The shaft portions are rotatably received in bearings in the side frames 20, 21 for rotatably supporting the cylinders. The side frame 20 has bearings 22, 23 supported therein which respectively receive cylinder shafts 10a, 11a and support the cylinders for rotation in the side frames. The bearing 22 is mounted in an eccentric member 24 which is supported in an opening 25 in the side frame 20. The eccentric is rotatable in the opening to move the cylinder 10 toward and away from its operating position for cooperating with the cylinder 11 and is rotated by operating a fluid pressure actuator 26. The fluid pressure actuator 26 is mounted on the side frame 20 and is connected to rotate the eccentric 24 by a linkage 27 including threaded parts 28 which may be relatively rotated to adjust the length of the linkage and in turn the operating position of the cylinder. The change in length of the linkage 27 adjusts the working position of the cylinder 10 relative to the cylinder 11 and this in turn will adjust the clearance between the cylinder and the pressure of the cylinders on the work therebetween. Thus the parts are adjustable to adjust pressure for various stock thickness and to compensate for changes in cylinder position due to heat, etc.

In the preferred and illustrated embodiment, the bearings 22, 23- supporting the cylinder shafts 10a, 11a are roller bearings. The roller bearing 22 has an inner race 30 which is fixed to a reduced end portion of the cylinder shaft 10a and is held against longitudinal movement relative to the shaft. The bearing 22 also has an outer race 31 which is supported in an opening 29 in the eccentric 24 for limited movement axially of the opening and is held against rotation by a pin 32 supported in the eccentric 24 and received in an opening in the outer surface of the outer race 31. The pin fits loosely in an axial direction in the outer race 31 so as to allow axial movement of the bearing 22 with the shaft 10a. Two sets of rollers 33 canted in opposite directions are disposed between the inner and outer races 30, 31 so as to provide for relative rotation of the races and transmit axial thrust in both directions between the inner and outer races. Accordingly the bearing 22 supports the cylinder shaft 10a for rotation in the side frame 20 but allows limited axial adjustment of the shaft relative to the side frame 20. The structure for supporting and mounting the projecting shaft on the other end of the cylinder 10 corresponds to the described structure for supporting and mounting the cylinder shaft 10 and includes a bearing, an eccentric, and a fluid pressure actuator corresponding to the bearing 22, the eccentric 24, and the actuator 26.

The cylinders 10 may be adjusted axially by rotating an adjusting member 36 keyed to a shaft 37 connected to and projecting axially from the outer end of the cylinder shaft 10a. Shaft 37 is connected to the shaft 10a by a bracket 40 bolted to the outer end of the shaft 10a by bolts 41. The bracket 40 has an opening 42 therein which receives the inner end of the shaft 37, and the inner end of the shaft 37 has a shoulder 43 thereon inside the bracket 40 and a shoulder 44 adjacent the outer side of the bracket 40. The shoulder 43 is formed by an enlarged portion of the shaft 37 while the shoulder 44 is provided by a nut threaded onto the shaft 37 and is adjustable. Axial movement of the shaft 37 is transmitted to'the bracket 41 and in turn to the cylinder 10 by thrust bearings disposed between the shoulders 43, 44 and an annular wall 45 projecting inwardly from the side wall of the opening 42. The thrust bearings while transmitting axial movement of the shaft 37 to the cylinder 10 allow the cylinder 10 to rotate relative to the shaft 37. The member 36 which is rotated to effect the axial adjustment is on a reduced portion of the shaft 37 which extends outwardly from the bracket 40 through a cover member 47 bolted to the eccentric 24. The reduced outer end portion is threaded into the opening in the cover member 47 and when the adjusting member 36 is rotated to rotate the shaft 37 the shaft is threaded into or out of the cover member 47 to adjust the axial position of the cylinder 10. A lock nut 47a is provided to lock the shaft 37 to the cover member 17.

The structure for supporting and mounting the cylinder 11 including its shaft portion 11a corresponds to that described for mounting the cylinder except that the bearings mounting the shaft portions in the side frames are not mounted in an eccentric member since, in the illustrated embodiment, the cylinder 11 is not laterally adjustable. If the cylinder 11 were to be laterally adjustable the mounting and support for the cylinder 11 could be a duplicate of that for cylinder 10. The bearing 23, and the corresponding bearing in side frame 21, are each mounted directly in openings in the corresponding side frame/Also, since the illustrated cylinder 11 is not adjustable axially, the bearings need not be axially movable in their receiving openings but may be held against axial movement.

In accordance with the present invention the cylinder shafts 10a, 11a are preloaded by loading means which urges the cylinders away from each other. In the preferred and illustrated embodiment the mechanism for preloading the cylinders 10, 11 and the cylinder shafts 10a, 11a includes a loading device in the form of a spring loaded cartridge 48 disposed between bearing support members 49, 50 which in the illustrated embodiment is a two-piece member with the pieces bolted together. The bearing support members 49, 50 are located adjacent the inner side of the frames 20 and 21 and respectively have roller bearings 51, 52 therein which rotatably receive the cylinder shafts 10a, 11a respectively. The bearings 51, 52 are mounted on intermediate reduced portions of the cylinder shafts 10a, 11a between the reduced portions which mount the bearings 22, 23 and the portions of the shafts of maximum diameter immediately adjacent the ends of the cylinders 10, 11, The structure of the bearing support member 49, the bearing 51 and their mounting on the side frame 20 and the cylinder shaft 10a is substantially the same as that for the bearing support member 50, and the bearing 52, and therefore only the structure for mounting of the bearing 51 and the bearing support member 49 will be described in detail but the same ref erence numerals with a prime applied thereto will be applied to the corresponding structure associated with the cylinder shaft 11a.

The bearing 51 has an inner race 53 which abuts at its inner side a shoulder 54 formed on the cylinder shaft 10a at the inner end of the reduced portion of the shaft on which the race 53 is mounted. The outer end of the race 53 is engaged by an annular ring 56 which is disposed between the bearing 51 and the race 30 of the bearing 22. The bearing 51 and the bearing 22 are both held against axially outward movement on the cylinder shaft 10a by the engagement of the race 30 with the inner end of the bracket 40. Consequently the bearing 51 and the bearing 22 are trapped on the cylinder shaft 10a and held against axial movement relative thereto. Moreover, the inner race 53 of the bearing 51 has a press fit on the shaft 10a so as to rotate therewithand the outer race of the bearing 51 is received in an opening 58 in the bearing support member 49 and is axially movable therein to accommodate the axial adjustment of the cylinder 10. To provide for movement of the bearing 51 and the bearing support member 49 in a plane extending radially of the cylinder shaft 10a, the bearing support member 49 is bolted to the inner side of the side frame 20 by bolts 60 which are received in enlarged opening 60a in the bearing support member 49 and allow the bearing support member to float or move relative to the side frame 20. The pressure relationship of the cooperating cylinders and preload applied to the cylinders tends to bow the latter including their shaft portions. In the preferred structure the bowing is limited by the bearing support members because the bearing support member has its side adjacent the side frame in engagement with the latter.

The spring cartridge 48 for loading the shafts 10a, 11a includes top and bottom members 64, 65 respectively having sides 66, 67 facing each other. The facing sides 66, 67 have opposing recesses 68 therein and opposing recesses 69 therein which form pockets for springs 70, 71 which are under compression and urge the top and bottom members apart to urge their outer sides into engagement with mating sides 49a 50a on the bearing support members 49, 50. The outer sides of the top and bottom members 64, 65 and their mating sides are rectilinear in configuration.

To enable the spring load to be relieved from the bearing support member 49, 50, the members 64, 65 of the cartridge have flanges 73 projecting from their ends which are interconnected by bolts 74. Normally the bolts 74 have no function except to guide the members 64, 65, but if it is desired to relieve the spring load applied by the spring cartridge to the bearing support members 49, 50, nuts 75 on the bolts 74 are threaded on the bolts to draw the top and bottom members toward each other and to take the spring load. When this is done, the spring cartridge can be removed from the press, and can be handled without presenting a hazard to workmen because of uncontrolled loaded springs. Moreover, the structure of the spring cartridge also facilitates the assembly of the press as will be described hereinafter. Normally however, the springs 70, 71 will act through the top and bottom members to urge the bearing support members 49, 50 and in turn the cylinder shafts 10a, 11a away from each other. This will in turn apply a preload t6 the cylinder shafts 10a, 11a and urge the shafts to the top sides of the bearing openings in the side frames 20. The cylinder shafts projecting from the ends of the cylinders 10, 11 opposite to the shafts 10a, 11a have bearing support members and bearings thereon corresponding in structure and operation to the members 49, 50 and the bearings 51, 52 and a spring cartridge 48 corresponding to the spring cartridge 48 between the bearing support members to preload the cylinders adjacent the side frame 21.

With the described preload on the cylinders, the interruption and re-establishment of pressure relationship between the circumferences of the cylinders 10, 11 will not have the elfect on the operation being performed that it would have in the absence of the preload. Also, thepreloading in the manner described enables the cylinders to be adjusted toward and away from each other by operating the threaded parts connected to the eccentrics without destroying the preload. The bolts 74 of the spring cartridge may be adjusted to assure that the range of operation of the spring cartridge accommodates the amount of adjustment for the eccentric provided by the threaded parts 28. Preferably, the bolts are adjusted so that the bolts take up the spring load :as the cylinder 10 is moved to its throw off, i.e. non-working position so that the cartridge cannot follow the bearing members 49. This removes the preload from the cylinder shafts and allows the movement to throw on position to start Without requiring it to overcome the action of the preloading devices. However, as the cylinder 10 is moved toward its working position, the bearing members will engage the spring cartridges which will then oppose a movement of the cylinder 10 to its working position and effect a preloading of the cylinder and the shaft portions thereof.

The use of the spring cartridges greatly facilitates the assembly and disassembly of cylinders 10, 11 from the side frames 20, 21. As mentioned before, side frame 20 is divided into three sections, 20a, 20b and 200 and the side frame 21 is correspondingly divided. The dividing lines for the sections lie in a horizontal plane through the openings in the side frame for receiving the eccentrics for supporting the shafts of cylinder 10 and the bearings for the shafts of cylinder 11. Consequently, the bottom of the top side frame 20 has a semi-circular opening therein which is a seat for the top part of the eccentric 24, the intermediate frame section has a corresponding recess in the top side which is the seat for the bottom portion of the eccentric 24 while the bottom of the intermediate section and the top of the bottom frame section have corresponding semi-circular seats for the bearing 23.

The top frame section is connected to the intermediate frame sections by bolts 76 which pass through openings in the top section and thread into the top of the intermediate section while the intermediate section and the bottom section are bolted together by bolts 77 which pass upwardly through the bottom section and thread into the underside of the intermediate section. The cylinders 10, 11 may be readily removed by first unbolting the bolts holding the top sections onto the intermediate sections and lifting the top sections off of the intermediate sections. It is apparent that the top section is not under an uncontrolled spring load since the bolts 74 will take up the spring load as the top section is removed. However, the spring load provided by the loading devices can be removed by taking up on the nuts 75 to cause the bolts to take the spring load rather than the bearing support members. In fact the spring cartridges can actually be removed from the machine prior to disassembly by tightening up on the bolts and slipping the cartridges out endwise from between the bearing support members. It will be understood that, prior to disassembly of the side frames, any parts which are connected to two of the frame sections should be disconnected from at least one of the sections. It will be noted that the actuator 26 and the linkage 27 are supported on the intermediate frame section and it is not necessary to disconnect these parts. Since the eccentric encircles the shaft a the eccentric is removed with the shaft 10a and not with the top section. In this connection, it should be noted that the cover member 47 is bolted directly to the eccentric so there is no reason to remove the cover member 47 prior to disassembling the side frames. After the top sections of side frames 20, 21 have been removed and the cylinder 10 lifted out, the intermediate sections of frames 20, 21 may be removed by unbolting the latter from the bottom sections. After the intermediate sections are removed the cylinder and its bearings may be lifted out. If access is desired only to the cylinder 11, the top and intermediate sections can be removed as a unit.

The spring cartridge 48 also enables the side frame to be assembled without spring load. The spring cartridge can be put into position when the side frame 20b is assembled on top of the side frame 20a after the cylinder 11 and its bearings are put in place and before the cylinder 10 is placed into position or the spring cartridge can be slipped in endwise after the assembly of the entire press.

In the illustrated machine the cylinder 11 will have conventional sheet gripping mechanism located in the axially extending gap to grip the leading edge of a sheet to be operated upon as the sheet is fed into the nip formed by the cooperating cylinders and to carry the sheet through the nip. These grippers have not been shown and will not be discussed in detail since they may be of any conventional structure. Mechanism for opening and closing such grippers commonly includes a stationary gripper operating cam located at one end of the cylinder. The gripper operating mechanism conventionally includes a cam follower which rides on the gripper operating cam and which is operated between two positions by the cam to open and close the grippers. In FIG. 7 a gripper operating cam 84 is shown bolted to the bearing support member for supporting the floating hearing at the lefthand end of the cylinder 11 as the latter is viewed in FIG. 2. This bearing support member has been designated by the reference numeral 50' and includes a bearing which rotatably receives the shaft portion of the cylinder 11 at the adjacent end of the cylinder and is bolted to the side frame 21 for floating movement in a manner similar to the bearing support member 49, 50. While the structures of the bearing support member and the bearing in the bearing support member which rotatably receives the adjacent shaft portion of the cylinder 11 is essentially the same construction as the bearing support members 49, 50 and the bearings therein, the bearing support member 50' is constrained to float along the line of action of the spring cartridge 48. To this end one of the bolts designated by the numeral 86 for connecting the bearing support member 50 to the adjacent frame members is received in the bearing member by a U-shaped opening 88 in the periphery of the member. The diameter of bolt 86 is such that the pin snugly fits the opening 88 between the sides of the U and prevents rotational movement of the bearing support member 50'. The length of the U allows the bearing support member 50' to float along the line of action of the spring cartridge 48. The bolt 86 will prevent the rotation of the bearing support due to forces such as applied by the gripper operating mechanism through its operating cam. If the bearing support member were allowed to rotate, the gripper timing would not be precise and oscillating motions might be set up by the gripper operating mechanism which would be detrimental to the life of the parts involved.

In the preferred embodiment the preloading mechanism comprises a spring loading mechanism. However, in certain machines other preloading means may be used. For example, jack screws, Wedges or fluid pressure motors may be disposed between the bearing support members or other structure to load the cylinders as they are moved to working position.

While the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in considerable detail, it is hereby my intention to cover all constructions, modifications and arrangements which fall within the ability of those skilled in the art and within the scope and spirit of the present invention.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A rotary machine comprising a frame, first and second cooperating cylinders adapted to run in pressure relationship, each of the said cylinders having shaft means projecting from the opposite ends thereof, bearing means on said frame rotatably receiving said shaft means and supporting said cylinder means for rotation, a bearing support member at each end of said cylinder and inwardly of said bearing means, means for adjusting one of said cylinders laterally to adjust said pressure relationship, means connecting said bearing support members to said frame for movement radially of said cylinders, each of said bearing support members having a bearing thereon rotatably receiving the adjacent shaft means, spring means disposed between the bearing support members at the corresponding ends of said cylinders, said spring means comprising a device having movable top and bottom members operatively engaged with the adjacent bearing support members, and spring means under compression disposed between said members and urging said top and bottom members apart.

2. A rotary machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said device includes means for moving said top and bottom members together against the action of said spring means.

3. A rotary machine comprising first and second rotatable cooperating cylinders having circumferences adapted to run in pressure relationship with each other, said cylinders including shaft portions projecting from each of the opposite ends thereof, side frames at the ends of said cylinders, respective bearings in said side frames supporting said shaft portions, a spring loading device disposed between said shaft portions at each end of the cylinders, said devices acting on said shaft portions to urge the latter away from each other, said side frames being divided into top, bottom, and intermediate sections by planes passing through said shaft portions, and releasable means interconnecting said sections, said device including means for compressing said springs to remove the load from said shaft portions.

4. A rotary machine having a rotatable cylinder to be preloaded, said cylinder having shaft portions extending from the opposite ends thereof, bearing means rotatably receiving said shaft portions and movable radially of said cylinder and means for preloading said cylinder including a spring device having spaced movable members, compression springs between said members and means for moving said members toward each other to a relative position in which the load is removed from said cylinders and for holding said members in said position.

5. A rotary machine having a frame and first and second cooperating cylinders which run in a pressure relationship with each other to perform an operation on material passing therebetween, the pressure relationship between said cylinders being intermittent, shaft portions at each of the opposite ends of said cylinders, first hearing means rotatably supporting said shaft portions in said frame, means mounting said bearing means in said frame and constraining the latter against movement radially of said cylinders relative to said frame, second bearing means'at each end of each of said cylinders received on said shaft portions inwardly of said first bearing means andmovable relative to said frame in a direction away from the cooperating cylinder, loading means acting on and through each of said second bearing means to urge said shaft portions in directions away from each other, one of said cylinders being supported for axial adjustment and said machine including means operatively connected between said frame and said shaft portions of said one cylinder for moving said one cylinder axially, and each of said second bearing means comprising a bearing support member supported on said frame for movement radially of said one cylinder and a bearing receiving a shaft portion of said one cylinder in an opening in the bearing member and movable longitudinally of the opening with the shaft portion.

6. A rotary machine comprising first and second rotatable cooperating cylinders having circumferences adapted to run in pressure relationship with each other, said cylinders including shaft portions projecting from each of the opposite ends thereof, side frames at the ends of said cylinders, respective bearings in said side frames supporting said shaft portions, a spring loading device disposed between said shaft portions at each end of the cylinders, said devices acting on said shaft portions to urge the latter away from each other, said side frames being divided into top, bottom, and intermediate sections by planes passing through said shaft portions, releasable means interconnecting said sections, said device including means for compressing said springs to remove the load from said shaft portions, said bearing support members being disposed inwardly of said side frames and rotatably receiving said shaft portions, and means constraining said bearing support members against rotation and providing for movement relative to said frames in directions away from the adjacent bearing support member, said support members having planar sides facing each other and between which said device is disposed and from which said device is removable.

7. A rotary machine for operating on sheet-like material comprising a pair of cylinders movable toward and away from each other for adjustment purposes, said cylinders having outer surface portions which have an intermittent pressure relationship and which operate on the sheet-like material, each of said cylinders having shaft portions projecting from the opposite ends thereof, frame means, a plurality of first bearings supported by said frame means, each of said first bearings supporting a respective shaft portion, auxiliary bearing means on each of said shaft portions located between said first bearings and said cylinders, each of said auxiliary bearing means including a non-rotatable housing and a bearing member carried by said housing, said non-rotatable housings on each axial side of said cylinders being aligned, and loading means between the aligned housings and opposing movement of said cylinders toward each other.

8. A rotary machine as defined in claim 7 wherein at least one of said cylinders has an axially extending gap therein for sheet grippers, and a cam member secured to said one of said non-rotatable housings for said one cylinder and effective to operate sheet grippers.

9. A rotary machine as defined in claim 7 wherein each of said bearing members comprises a roller bearing received in a bore in the housing, said roller bearing having an inner race connected to the respective shaft portion for rotation therewith and an outer race.

10. A rotary machine as defined in claim 7 further including a pair of eccentrics, one of said eccentrics being associated with each of the opposite shaft portions of one of said cylinders, operating means for simultaneously rotating said eccentrics to bodily move said one of said cylinders relative to said second cylinder between operative and inoperative positions, and said loading means comprises a spring means which opposes movement of said one cylinder by said eccentrics.

11. A rotary machine as defined in claim 10 further including means for adjusting said operating means to effect adjustment of said one of said cylinders while in operative position.

12. A rotary machine as defined in claim 7 wherein said loading means comprises a spring unit which includes a pair of members, one of which engages a housing on the shaft end of one of the cylinders and the other of which engages the aligned housing on the shaft end of the other cylinder, and spring means interposed between said members urging said members apart.

13. A rotary machine comprising a pair of side frames, a pair of cooperating cylinders defining a nip therebetween and running in an intermittent pressure relationship, each of said cylinders having a pair of shaft ends, each of said shaft ends being supported in a respective bearing in one of said side frames, means for laterally moving said one of said cylinders between working and non-working positions, additional means for moving said one cylinder to adjust the working position of said one cylinder, loading means for loading said cylinders comprising first means movable with said one cylinder between working and non-working positions and spring loaded means adjacent said first means and engaging the latter to apply a loading force opposing movement of said cylinder to said working position and adjustment of the one cylinder to ward said cooperating cylinder, said first means comprising additional bearings supported on each shaft end and a non-rotatable housing supporting each respective hearing, the housings at the adjacent axial sides of said cylinders being aligned, and said spring loaded means comprises a pair of members one of which. engages each aligned housing and springs biasing said pair of members apart.

14. A rotary machine as defined in claim 13 wherein said first means is out of engagement with said spring loaded means when said one cylinder is in its non-working position and engages said spring loaded means as said cylinder moves to working position.

15. A rotary machine as defined in claim 14 wherein said loading means includes means for limiting movement of said members apart by the action of said springs.

16. A rotary machine comprising a frame, first and second cooperating cylinders, said cylinders having outer surface portions which have an intermittent pressure relationship, shaft portions at each of the opposite ends of said cylinders, first bearing means rotatably supporting said shaft portions in said frame, second bearing means at each end of each of said cylinders received on said shaft portions inwardly of said first bearing means, load ing means acting on and through each of said second hear ing means to urge said shaft portions in directions away from each other, one of said cylinders being supported for axial adjustment, means operatively connected between said frame and said one cylinder for moving said one cylinder axially, and each of said second bearing means comprising a bearing support housing fixed against axial movement relative to said frame and abearing member in a bore in said housing and movable longitudinally in said bearing housing upon axial movement of said shaft portions.

17. A rotary machine as defined in claim 16 wherein each bearing member comprises a roller bearing having an inner race connected to said shaft portions and an outer race slidable in said bore in said housing.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,185,260 5/1916 Stine 226,l87 X: 2,973,892 3/1961 Hedde 226-487 X 2,998,906 9/1961 Vice 226192 X 3,073,590 1/1963 Romeo 226-187 X 3,256,812 6/1966 M. HENSON WOOD, 111., Primary Examiner.

R. A. SCHACHER, Assistant Examiner.

Karrenbauer l01247 X 

3. A ROTARY MACHINE COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND RATATABLE COOPERATING CYLINDERS HAVING CIRCUMFERENCES ADAPTED TO RUN IN PRESSURE RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OTHER, SAID CYLINDERS INCLUDING SHAFT PORTIONS PROJECTING FROM EACH OF THE OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF, SIDE FRAMES AT THE ENDS OF SAID CYLINDERS, RESPECTIVE BEARINGS IN SAID SIDE FRAMES SUPPORTING SAID SHAFT PORTIONS, A SPRING LOADING DEVICE DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID SHAFT PORTIONS AT EACH END OF THE CYLINDERS, SAID DEVICES ACTING ON SAID SHAFT PORTIONS TO URGE THE LATTER AWAY FROM EACH OTHER, SAID SIDE FRAMES BEING DIVIDED INTO TOP, BOTTOM, AND INTERMEDIATE SECTIONS BY PLANES PASSING THROUGH SAID SHAFT PORTIONS, AND RELEASABLE MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAID SECTIONS, SAID DEVICE INCLUDING MEANS FOR COMPRESSING SAID SPRINGS TO REMOVE THE LOAD FROM SAID SHAFT PORTIONS. 